Gas-lamp flashing device.



No. 831,473. PATENTBD SEPT. 18, 1906. U. RIDDERHOP & M. JOHNSTON.

GAS LAMP FLASHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.27, 1905.

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CORNEIL RIDDERHOF AND GEORGE MARION JOHNSTON, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

GAS-LAMP FLASHING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed January 27,1905- Serial No. 242,932.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, CORNEIL BIDDER- HOF and GEORGE MARION JOHNSTON, citizens joted the contact-lever t, which may be I formed in the shape of a U to straddle the valve-lever i and is so positioned that it of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Lamp Flashing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in gas-lamp flashing devices; and its objects are to provide a structure, wherein the gaspressure automatically opens and closes a feed-pipe to gas-burners; a device operating without the use of liquids; a structure which adapts itself to a varying gas-pressure; a structure requiring the use of but one single operating-valve, and such further objects as will appear in this specification.

The details of our invention are clearly,

pointed out in the claims hereto, and a structure embodying its mechanical principles is shown in the accompanying drawing, which is a sectional view of our gas-reservoirs and diaphragm to expose the workings, of the operating-valve and the gaapassages.

Our device is contained in a box or case 1 made up of several parts, but so constructed as to form a gas-receiving chamber which is indicated as b, and a storage-chamber indi cated as a, the exact forms of which are immaterial to our invention. Across the top of the storage-chamber we have placed a plate of transparent substance, such as glass, through which may be viewed the working mechanism of our device.

0 is a diaphragm of yielding material, such as leather, firmly held between the parts of the base of our device.

d is an actuating-rod, the lower portion of which being secured to the center of the diaphragm, as shown. This rod is guided in a projection from the side of the storage-chamber, which projection is indicated as f.

m is an outlet-passage from the storagechamber, from which pipe connections may lead to any burner or burners to be intermittently flashed.

z" is a valve-lid suspended from the valvelever i, which lever & is pivoted at 76 on a projection from the outlet pipe or passage m.

kis a counterbalance of sufficient weight to slightly overbalance the weight of the valvelid 7). Upon this same pivotal point it is pivcontacts with said valve-lever on each side of the pivotal point 7r, respectively, as the weight g swings to either side of the center of gravity, as will be readily seen by reference to the accompanying drawing.

e and 6 represent contact-pins placed on the vertical actuating-rod d, which contact alternately with the lever t.

7" is a gas-passage from the receivingchamber to the storage-chamber, the opening of which is regulated by the valve 19, in accordance with the number of burners to be flashed, and the gas-pressure.

n is a small opening from the receivingchamber 6 to the outlet-pipe m, its function being to supply a small quantity of gas continuously to the burners when the valve 1" is closed to take the place of a pilot-burner. The size of this opening is regulated by the valve 0.

s is the gas-intake entering the receivingchamber.

It will be noted that the passages m, r, and n are formed in the frame of our device itself, thereby avoiding the necessity of outside pipes or tubes.

The operation of our device is as follows: In its initial position the diaphragm c is depressed in the center by its own weight and the weight of the rod cl and the valve-lid i lifted, thus leaving the outlet-passage m open. The gas entering the receiving-chamber at s soon exerts a certain pressure upon the under side of the diaphragm c, causing the center thereof to rise and lift the rod d. WVhen the rod (2 has reached a certain point in its upward motion, the contact-pin e engages the lever t and continues to lift the same until the weight 9 passes the center of gravityto the right. The lever 25 then swings, actuated by the weight, until the valve-lid i is firmly and suddenly seated upon the opening of the outlet-passage m, and the supply of gas to the burners is thereby shut off as far as the storage-chamber a is concerned. WVhen this condition has come about, the pressure in each side of the diaphragm is equalized by reason of the passage 1" and the diaphragm falls toward its initial position, and with it the rod d, imtil the contact-pin e strikes" the top side of the lever t and the weight g is swung to the left beyond the center of gravity, and the lever 15, contacting with the valve-lever L on the left side of the pivotal point thereof, causes the valve-lid t to .be lifted and the passage m is again opened, thus causing an intermittent flashing at the burners as this operation is continued. The passage 1" may be regulated by the valve 1) until the operation of the diaphragm is at the desired interval. The larger the opening in this passage 1" the slower will the diaphragm rise, and vice versa. By reason of the structure described it will be noted that only a single-acting valve is necessary, leaving an uninterrupted gas-passage between the receiving and the storage chambers, which valve may be intelligently adjusted by reason of the structure of the storage-chamber previously described.

While our device will admit of many alterations without departing from its mechanical principles, what we claim as new, and for which we desire Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the combination of a receiving-chamber b and a storage-chamber a, with the flexible diaphragm secured between them; the gas-passage r between said chambers; the receiving-passage s entering said receiving-chamber; the outlet-passage m from said storage-chamber; the valve-lid t adapted to close said passage m; the lever 01 carrying said valve-lid and the contacting lever tboth pivoted at a common axis; the weight 9 upon an upward extension from said lever t and adapted to swing to either side of the center of gravity and cause said lever t to contact with said valve-lever i, on either side of the pivotal point thereof; the upwardly-projecting rod cl from said diaphragm c; the contact-pins e and e on said rod d; the passage n between said receivingchamber and said outlet-passage m; and the valve 0, substantially as described.

2. In a gas-lamp flashing device the combination of a receiving-chamber and a storage-chamber with a flexible diaphragm secured between them; an adjustable opening between said chambers; a receiving-passage entering said receiving-chamber; an outletpipe extending from said storage-chamber a lever pivotally mounted in said storagechamber carrying a valve-lid adapted to close said outlet-passage; a contacting lever carry-- ing upon an upward projection, a weight adapted to swing to either side of the center of gravity, said contacting lever being adapted to contact with said lever carrying said valve-lid, upon each side of the pivotal point of said lever carrying said valve-lid, respectively; an upwardly-extending-rod attached to said diaphragm having contact-pins adapted to contact with said contacting lever carrying said weight; a plate of transparent material across the top of said storage-chamber; the passage or from said receiving-chamber to said outlet-passage, and the valve 0, substantially as described.

3. In a gas-lamp flashing device the combination of a receiving-chamber and a storage-chamber, with a flexible diaphragm be tween them; an adjustable opening between said chambers; a receiving-passage entering said receiving-chamber; an outlet-pipe extending from said storage-chamber; a lever pivotally mounted in said storage-chamber carrying a valve-lid adapted to close said out let-passage; a weighted contact-lever adapted to swing to either side of the center of gravity, and contact with said lever carrying said valve-lid on either side of its pivotal point respectively; an upwardly-projecting rod attached to said diaphragm carrying contact-pins adapted to contact with said weighted lever alternately, and the adjustable opening between said receiving-passage and said outlet-passage, substantially as described.

4. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the com bination of a receiving-chamber and a storagechamber with a flexible diaphragm between them; an uninterrupted opening between said chambers; a receiving-passage entering said receiving-chamber; an outlet-passage extending from said storage-chamber; a valve adapted to open and close said outlet-pas sage; a weighted lever adapted to swing toeither side of the center of gravity, and adapted to open and close said valve by its own independent motion after passing said center of gravity; a rod attached to said diaphragm with contact-points adapted to contact with said weighted lever; and a passage from said receiving-chamber to said outletpassage, substantially as described.

5. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the combination of a receiving-chamber and a storage-chamber with a flexible diaphragm between them; an uninterrupted opening between said chambers; a receiving-passage entering said receiving-chamber; an outletpassage extending from said storage-chamber; a valve adapted to open and close said storage-chamber; a weighted lever adapted to swing to either side of the center of gravity; and with its own independent motion after passing such center of gravity, to open and close said valve; contact connections between said flexible diaphragm and said weighted lever; and a passage from said receiving-chamber to said outlet-passage substantially as described.

6. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the combination of a receiving-chamber and a storage-chamber with a flexible diaphragm be tween them; an uninterrupted passage between said chambers; a receiving-passage entering said receiving-chamber; an outletpassage extending from said storage-chamber; a valve adapted to open and close said IIS storage-chamber; a weighted lever adapted I from one of said chambers; means for opento swing to either side of the center of gravity, ing and closing said outlet-passage and conand with its own independent motion after passing such center of gravity, to open and close said valve; and contact connections between said flexible diaphragm and said weighted lever substantially as described.

7. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the combination of a receiving and a storage chamber with a flexible diaphragm between them; an uninterrupted opening or passage between said chambers; an outlet-pipe from said storage-chamber; a valve adapted to open and close said outlet-passage; and means for suddenly opening and closing said valve, ac-

tuated by the movement of said flexible diaphragm, substantially as described.

8. In a gaslamp flashing device, the combination of two gas-chambers with a single uninterrupted gas-passage between them; a flexible diaphragm actuated by a change in the gas-pressure in one of the respective chambers, an outlet-passage from one of said chambers, a valve for opening and closing said outlet-passage, and connections between said valve and said flexible diaphragm, for

the purpose specified.

9. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the combination of two gas-chambers, means for furnishing a continuous supply of gas to each of said chambers; a flexible diaphragm between said gas-chambers; an outlet-passage nections between said means and said flexible diaphragm, substantially as described.

10. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the combination of two gas-chambers with a flexible diaphragm between them, an uninterrupted gas-passage from one of said chambers to the other; an intake-gas passage entering one of said chambers, and an outlet-gas passage leading from the other of said chambers; and means for intermittently opening and closing said outlet passage, substantially as described.

1 1. In a gas-lamp flashing device, the combination of a storage-chamber and a receiving-chamber, with a flexible diaphragm between them; means for supplying gas continuously to both chambers; an outlet-gas passage from said storage-chamber; means for intermittently opening and closing said outlet-passage; an opening in said storagechamber, and a transparent covering for the same, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto aflixed our signatures, this 25th day of January, 1905, in the presence of two witnesses.

CORNEIL RIDDERHOF.

GEORGE MARION JOHNSTON Witnesses:

LOTTIE M. CoNKLIN,

LEWIS T. WILMARTH. 

